Summer job seekers push Ottawa Co. jobless rate slightly higher

Thursday

Jun 26, 2014 at 5:59 PMJun 26, 2014 at 5:59 PM

Staff report

The jobless rate for Ottawa County, along with 11 of the state’s major labor market regions, rose slightly in May due to a large influx of summer job seekers, according to data released Thursday by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.The unemployment rate in the Holland area climbed three-tenths of a percent to 5.3 last month.It makes Ottawa County the second brightest job market in the state, tied with Barry and Washtenaw counties. Allegan County has the seventh-lowest jobless rate at 5.8 percent.Kent County leads the state with a 5.2 percent unemployment rate.“The jobless-rate increases in a number of regions reflected a large influx of workers entering the labor market to obtain seasonal employment,” said Jason Palmer, director of the Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives.“Although many individuals found employment in May, not all found jobs,” he added.The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate in May reached 7.5 percent overall in Michigan, according to figures released last week.In the past month, the civilian labor force in Ottawa County rose from 134,100 to 137,400, while total employment also increased from 127,500 to 130,100. Statewide, total employment levels rose in all areas and the jobless rate has fallen in all 17 major labor market regions in the past year.Still, the jobless rate in the Holland area has dropped 1.5 percentage points from a level of 6.8 percent a year ago.